Novograd-Volynskiy (Zhytomyr Region), Dolyna (Ivano-Frankivsk Region), 26-27 February: SPARE-Ukraine has conducted two workshops in cooperation with UNDP-led Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme in its partner municipalities of Novograd-Volynskiy and Dolyna. Over 50 local teachers participated in the workshops and learned how to educate secondary school students on energy-saving.
Introducing energy saving activities would help cope with scarce energy recourses and energy-dependency in Ukraine, as many experts agree. Moreover, energy-saving has been increasingly recognized as a global development issue. Considering all this, the participants in the workshops agreed to raise public awareness about energy-saving concerns among different groups of population in Ukraine, with youth being a key target group for this.
The workshops became possible due to exceptional cooperation between the SPARE-Ukraine and two UNDP-led projects - "Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme" and "Energy Efficiency in Education Sector", which helped train the teachers of the local schools for further introduction of teaching courses on energy saving, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and principles of sustainable development.
The new course "Energy Saving and Climate Mitigation" was designed in Ukraine by National coordinator of SPARE project in Ukrane ( Ecological club “Eremurus”) and UNDP supported project "Energy Efficiency in Education Sector", and its teaching is already introduced in many regions of Ukraine.
The workshops included practical exercises on energy saving and alternative sources of energy. The participants learned how to assess heat, energy and water losses in private apartments and discussed the innovative practices to prevent them.
In addition, they were exposed to debate on acid rains, greenhouse effect, climate change and other environmental threats. Efficiency-aware teachers and students would also save energy in school premises which are highly ineffective and energy-consuming. As part of capacity development support, Ukrainian teachers received textbooks and methodic materials on introducing the course.
Introduction of the course in Novograd-Volynskiy and Dolyna is supported by the City Mayors' Decrees and the Orders of the Education Department of the municipalities. Local authorities fully support introduction of new course.
Mykola Borovets, Novograd-Volynskyi City Mayor determined introduction of complex energy-saving system as one of strategic development goals of the municipality.Speaking during the training sessions, Volodymyr Garazd, Dolyna City Mayor said: "A wide-ranging public information campaign has a vital part to play in implementing overall Strategy of Energy-saving in Dolyna. Therefore, the teachers of secondary schools compose a very important target audience for such training. While children are the most effective information carriers, as they deliver it further to their parents. We are grateful to Municipal Governance and Sustainable Development Programme which supported our workshops".
These trainings constitute the first stage of inter-municipal cooperation initiative between Dolyna and Novograd-Volynskiy municipalities on energy saving and housing reform which is an experimental activity of UNDP/MGSDP in 2009. The one of the key direction – introducing the SPARE educational program on the city level.
